The book "Portrait of Dorian Gray" was written at the end of the 19th century, but it has not lost its relevance for our contemporaries. In the novel, science fiction is so harmoniously intertwined with reality that it is sometimes difficult to understand where one ends and the other begins. The irreversibility of time is what Oscar Wilde focuses on. The “Portrait of Dorian Gray” is a direct confirmation that an obsession with only its external beauty can lead to a sad ending.
Summary
Let us recall the plot of the work. The talented artist Basil Hallward created a portrait of a young man with excellent external data named Dorian Gray. The artist put his whole soul into the painting and does not want to sell the painting. Basil decides that it is best to give the painting to the sitter. Oil on fire is poured by a friend of Hollord, Lord Henry, who is an incorrigible cynic. The Lord begins to incite Dorian so that soon his beauty will fade, and the portrait will remain forever young and will be only a bitter memory of his youth.
Lord Henry played a major role in the personal degradation of Dorian, which is exactly what Oscar Wilde points to. “Portrait of Dorian Gray” is a story not only about the moral fall of the protagonist. There is a place for love. But love is not real, but false, like the whole life of Gray. He falls in love with young actress Sybil Wayne. He is captivated not so much by Sybil herself, but by her good ability to play roles on the stage. As a result, the actress herself passionately falls in love with Dorian, but loses the ability to convey to the audience the deep feelings of her heroines. But Gray does not need such a lover. He was interested in a talented girl who is not like the others, and not a simple earthly woman.
Deciding to break with Wayne, Dorian uttered a lot of cruel words to her, which prompted her lover to commit suicide. After her death, the portrait changed slightly, the first fold formed on the lip. The main character realized with horror that from now on all his bad deeds will be reflected only in the portrait.
The image in the portrait will grow old, and the young man will remain young, Oscar Wilde writes. The “Portrait of Dorian Gray” again confirms that all our actions inevitably affect our soul.
Many years pass, the portrait becomes uglier, and the protagonist retains youth. Seeing the picture of a terrible old man in the picture, Dorian rushes to the portrait with a knife, but as a result kills himself.
We advise you to definitely read the real masterpiece of world classics, which was created by the genius writer Oscar Wilde - “Portrait of Dorian Gray”. Reviews about this work are extremely positive.
Dorian Prototypes
The novel is based on two well-known myths. The first myth is the legend of Narcissus. It tells how one young man, having seen his reflection in the water, which seems incredibly beautiful to him, dies of a very strong love for himself.
There is another myth that Oscar Wilde plays in this work. “Portrait of Dorian Gray” is a reference to the famous myth about Faust, who allegedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth.
We hope that you are already interested in a talented English writer, playwright, poet Oscar Wilde. The writer's works are filled with a deep meaning that always prompts reflection.